澳洲動物野生動物園：與澳洲老師一起製作自己的內陸動物足跡！

𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗹, 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 '𝗜𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱'!

From May 2023, group classes from 'In The Real Wonderland' will only be offered on Outschool on a limited/ occasional basis. One-on-one, individually tailored play-based learning sessions will continue to be available on Outschool for the remainder of 2023.
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Ｃｌａｓｓ　Ｄｅｓｃｒｉｐｔｉｏｎ

From the unusual platypus, to the irresistibly cute smiling quokka, Australia has some of the most amazing and unique animals in the world. This class is taught by an Australian and native English-speaking teacher who lived and worked for many years in the remote Australian outback, and is for any child who is curious about the unique wildlife of this continent. 

In this session, we tell an interactive story about Australian animals, as we go on a bush tucker trip looking for delicious plant foods the Australian rainforest. We'll discover that animals leave tracks and traces behind when they move across the land, and that (just like letters of the alphabet) we can "read" these animal tracks if we know how. Which animals can tell us where the sweetest berries are hiding? How can we tell their track? As we travel through the rainforest, we will learn to recognise some animal tracks...and get hands-on to make our own animal tracks as part of the story! Both outgoing and shy children will be able to participate in whatever way is most comfortable for them. 

After our story, children will get to choose more of their favourite Australian animals and we will develop a more in-depth appreciation of this wonderful animal and its tracks. Some of the animals you might like to choose from are: 

* Kangaroo, wallaby, and quokka
* Koala
* Echidna
* Platypus
* Dingo
* Crocodile
* Emu
* Goanna
* Wombat
* Possum
* Cockatoo
* Eastern Brown Snake

This class aims to give children an appreciation and understanding of the diversity and beauty of wildlife in our world. We will focus on storytelling, hands-on play, and art, as a way of bringing important concepts about science to life. These concepts include the importance of observation, sharing our environment, and that all animals (including humans!) leave tracks and traces.  This class uses a teaching approach known as "scientific playworlds", which helps young children develop high-level STEM skills through imaginative play, art and story-telling. Research shows that, compared to circle time classes, this interest-led and play-based approach increases memory retention of science, maths and language concepts, and promotes children's longer-term interest in STEM (Chung, 2016; Fleer, 2017; Williams, 2010). 

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Ｉｎｃｌｕｓｉｖｅ　Ｐｌａｙ　＆　Ｌｅａｒｎｉｎｇ　Ｅｘｐｅｒｉｅｎｃｅｓ...Ｆｏｒ　Ａｌｌ　Ｌｅａｒｎｅｒｓ

All children have preferred ways of engaging with learning content. 

Typically, children learn best when they can engage with content in a way that reflects their own unique preferences. 

I endeavor to ensure that this class is inclusive of all learners (including E and 2E learners). I do this by structuring classes, activities and conversations so each child can choose to engage in the whole class, using whatever way is most appropriate, meaningful and rewarding for them.

In this class, where we will be creating wildlife tracks from Australian animals, I structure the experience so that children may elect to engage through any one (or more) of the following ways:
~ sensory experience
~ manipulative and fine motor activity
~ sorting/ aligning activity
~ exploring cause and effect
~ imitation and role play
~ fantasy/ imaginative play and creativity
~ art play
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Ｔｅａｃｈｉｎｇ　Ａｐｐｒｏａｃｈ

This information will help you decide if my approach is a "good fit" for your child.  

This class is capped at a maximum of five learners, to ensure each child has the best possible child-led, personalised learning experience. I believe that learning comes not from memorising abstract facts, but though children being able to create and make sense of new ideas. To guide this learning, we need to have immersive, two-way conversations with children. Small class sizes allow me to work personally in this way, with each child. 

Child-led learning means that your child decides how they participate and what they focus on in our class. In this class, I do not tell children what to think about, or what to focus on. Instead, my goal is to understand your child's unique internal motivation. I do this by using stories, art, creativity and conversation to spark engagement. I then support each child to respond to these ideas and to follow their interests in a way that the class content and material comes to life for them. This helps make their learning become meaningful and sustained. 

You may see some differences in my classes, from the traditional US-based pre-K/ K/ early elementary and seated classroom approach. My aim is to extend your child's learning beyond our allocated screen time, through teaching and classroom practices such as:

🦋 Child-led learning (not teacher-led instruction)

🦋 Shared understanding (not imposing meaning)

🦋 Individualised and humanising relationships (not standardised expectations)

🦋 Hands-on, authentic play (not lectures)

🦋 Deep experimentation with creative, scientific, mathematical and relational process (not factory produced products or worksheets)

🦋 Collaboration and meaning (not rote memorising)

🦋 Imaginative resourcefulness (not mundane replication) 

🦋 Growing children's passions and intellectual discovery (not their performance)

🦋 Reading and responding to children’s cues, behaviours and signals (not managing, pathologising or fixing them)

🦋 Being an adult who is in calm control (not an adult who is battling for control and compliance)

My teaching approach tends to suit families who are seeking a humanising and wholistic learning experience for their young child.